Copper plate with
inscription

Found near Barrackpur in Eastern
IndiaSena dynasty, probably AD
1159

A land grant with a genealogy of the Sena
dynasty

The royal seal of the Sena dynasty, a ten-armed
figure of the god
Shiva,
is attached to the top of the plaque. The inscription is incised on
a single piece of copper in Sanskrit. The inscription is dated to
the year 32 of the reign of Vijaya Sena (the grandson of the first
Sena king) which we can calculate as approximately AD 1159. It
records the grant of a piece of land to a
brahmin
named Udayakaradeva Sharman. It further records that the grant was
made inside the palace, as the
dakshina or
gift-offering to this brahmin for performing a special Vedic
sacrifice. The sacrifice was performed on the occasion of a lunar
eclipse for Vijaya Sena's principal queen, Mahadevi Vilasa
Devi (the first Sena king claimed descent from the
moon).

It was customary for
all sections of society of make offerings to the priestly caste of
brahmins either as a pious gesture or in return for their services
in performing various rituals. Each individual made an offering in
accordance with his station, and royalty usually bestowed grants of
land to be enjoyed by the brahmin and his family. These royal
grants were recorded on metal-plate inscriptions like these from
ancient times from all over India, and have proved invaluable in
reconstructing the early political history of
India.

Dr G.A. Schumacher
bought this important historical document for its weight in copper
in around 1905 in a small village near the cantonment of
Barrackpur, 24-Parganas District, West Bengal.